Today’s Geo Quiz is inspired by the World Cup. Soccer’s most prestigious tournament is at the semi-finals stage with Uruguay, the Netherlands, Germany and Spain still vying for the World Cup title…
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In this week’s World in Words podcast, the newest star of Germany’s national soccer team is an ethnic Turk. His popularity is one of the reasons why Turkish has become just a little more accepted in Germany today. Also, the Georgian government pulls down a statue of Joseph Stalin in his hometown, but people there use the language of extreme denial to describe the town’s most famous son. And a British politician calls French a “useless” language to learn. Download MP3
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On a day when we’re remembering soldiers and wars, it’s also useful to think about how we remember. In Germany, memory of the past is often painful: two world wars, the Holocaust, the Berlin Wall. Now, Germans are again thinking about how they remember these events. Writer Alissa Quart visited a couple of museums in Berlin. Download MP3(Photo: Gerry Hadden)Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
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An orphaned choir boy is abused by his Catholic priest, and grows up to be a troubled parent. That’s the plot of a play that opened last month in Regensburg, Germany, just as that city’s real-life clergy abuse scandal came to light. Susan Stone travels to the Bavarian city, where stunned audiences are considering their own tragic past. Download MP3 (Photo: Juliane Zitzlsperger)
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More news from Greece on this edition of the Global Economy Podcast. The country in the middle of its “worst crisis” in modern history, as the Greek finance minister put it. How are the Germans feeling about Greece? And how are the Greeks feeling about Greece? Also on this edition of the podcast: potholes in Germany, film in Russia, and a new trade route through the Himalayas. Also, is it better to give charitable donations of money or goods to help rebuild Haiti? Download MP3
For our Geo Quiz today we’re looking for one of Germany’s historic squares. This one’s just a short distance from the Brandenburg Gate.
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It sounds like a plot line for a movie. Four disgruntled senior citizens kidnap and hold hostage their financial advisor after losing a bundle in the US property market. Except it’s not a movie: Two married couples in the German state of Bavaria are accused of the crimes. They’re now on trial (Courtroom photo: Jörg Koch/AFP/Getty Images). Marco Werman finds out more from Bavarian Radio reporter Annette Kuglar. Download MP3
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Geo Quiz takes us out to sea. If you travel clockwise around the Baltic Sea, you can visit any of the Baltic countries: Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Poland, Germany, and finally Denmark. Download MP3
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Leather made from salmon could be the next big thing in the world of luxury design. Salmon leather has a lot going for it. It’s as strong as cow leather and as exotic as snake skin. This former waste product is now being turned into shoes, clothes, furniture, and even wallpaper. Susan Stone reports that salmon leather made in Germany is making a splash. Download MP3(Photo: Susan Stone)
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Remember the Y2K bug? Well, Germany is experiencing a computer glitch, 10 years after millennium bug. It’s a software problem that’s preventing computers from recognizing “2010″ on credit cards. David Hecht checked it out for us. Download MP3
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To produce cleaner energy, companies and governments are looking to capture carbon emissions, and store them underground. But that’s not necessarily popular with the locals. Later today, The World’s Gerry Hadden will report on a carbon capture project in Germany. Download MP3 (Photo of German carbon capture facility: Gerry Hadden)
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The World has teamed up with travel publisher Lonely Planet to bring you a new audio podcast. The idea is to find interesting intersections between news and travel. Clark Boyd from The World will bring the news, and Robert Reid and Tom Hall from Lonely Planet will bring the travel. In our first episode, we tackle American hikers in Iran, and nostalgia tourism in what was once East Berlin.
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Germany’s top soldier has resigned over allegations of a cover-up related to a deadly NATO air strike in Afghanistan. The strike on Sep 4, ordered by a German commander, targeted two fuel tankers hijacked by Taliban militants. But dozens of civilians were also killed in the attack in the northern province of Kunduz. Gerry Hadden looks into the German role in Afghanistan. Download MP3
